Is this an orchid?

[wjbrown]

I knew the story of how the catasetum came to me would generate a storm of indignation, sorry.

I just went to our annual orchid exposition and paid special attention to the catasetums. They are bizarre! The sign said not to touch the orchids, but my friend's daughter showed me how to hold my finger NEAR one of the more mature blooms; I felt a strong thump, and ended up with a clump of pollen stuck firmly on my fingernail. Amazing!

[Exhaustive]

Why did you feel a thump? I don't understand? Did it attack you..? weird.....

[Dorothy]

Originally Posted by terrestrial_man

If we survive long enough it will all be managed anyway. Nature will be whatever we plant or allow to exist. The notion of wilderness will be a memory gone as it would be for someone who thinking that they have found that perfect far away place that no one could have found before runs across an empty beer can! Definitely not litter from heaven!

Haven't we even left our Earth junk on Mars thanks to NASA?

[Frdemetr]

The name "Catasetum" is formed from "cata", from latin "to hurl", like in 'catapult', and "setum", from latin "arrow"; so, the male flowers of catasetum (a catasetum plant can blooms male, female or both flowers, seldom hermaphodite ones) has a mechanism designed to hurls the polen in the back of polinating insect; the polen has a kind of glue and is fixed in the insect, than it goes to a female flower and the fecundation (sometimes) occurs. For this reason Catasetum-alliance are considered the most well evolved orchids.
If you put your finger closer enough a mature male catasetum flower, you will feel a thump, and the polen mechanims will be glue in the finger!

[dave b]

Originally Posted by Exhaustive

Why did you feel a thump? I don't understand? Did it attack you..? weird.....

The anther is held in place under tension, and when touched they release and smack into the male euglosine bee, or the persons finger. Which ever one happened to be probing around inside the flower.

To see a really amazing orchid pollination scheme, look up the hammer orchids (Drakaea) from Australia. banjorah.com is an interesting site for good pics of Australian orchids and flowers.

[wjbrown]

I don't know what releases the anther. I'm pretty sure I didn't actually touch the blossom.

[Dorothy]

I have come to the conclusion that orchids are all about sex
.. no wonder I have an affinity to them!

Not Looking

Yeah Right

[Exhaustive]

Well wow, I have definately learned something new today.......Thanks!